What sets The Pinery apart
- Jurisdiction
- Unincorporated Douglas County, not the Town of Parker. Building permit questions go to Douglas County rather than the town.
- Housing age
- Development began decades before most of Parker's subdivisions, so many homes are older than those in surrounding neighborhoods, with a wide range of ages and styles.
- Terrain
- Rolling and sometimes steep lots under ponderosa pines, with many walkout and garden-level basements.
- Utilities
- Water and wastewater come from a local special district rather than the town. Check your bill for the district's name and emergency contact.
How slope and trees change the risk
On a sloped lot, the uphill side of the house acts like a dam. Runoff from a summer cloudburst or a fast spring melt flows downhill toward the foundation, and if grading has settled or a downspout empties on the high side, water ends up against the basement wall. Walkout basements put a large finished area partly below grade on one side and at grade on the other, so water can enter from both directions: seepage through the buried wall and surface water at the walkout door.
Pine needles fill gutters and downspouts quickly. A clogged gutter on a home under mature trees overflows straight down along the foundation, which is often the true source of a damp lower-level wall. The same shade that keeps homes cool in summer keeps snow on north-facing roof sections longer in winter, and repeated melting and refreezing at the eaves can push water under shingles.
Because many homes here are older, plumbing materials vary more than in newer subdivisions. Depending on when a house was built and whether it has been repiped, it may have copper, galvanized steel, CPVC, PEX or, in some homes from the late 1970s through the mid-1990s, gray polybutylene supply lines, which have a reputation for failing at fittings. If you are not sure what you have, a plumber can identify it in a few minutes at the water heater or main.
Water checks suited to Pinery homes
- Clean gutters more than once a year if your roof is under pines, and add guards if they help.
- Walk the uphill side of the house in a heavy rain and watch where the water goes.
- Extend downspouts on the high side well past the foundation and away from walkout doors.
- Check the threshold and sill of the walkout door for gaps after each winter.
- Look for icicles and ice buildup on shaded eaves during cold spells; staining on the ceiling below them is a warning.
- Ask a plumber to identify your supply piping if the house has never been repiped.
Questions to ask if water gets in
- Is this seepage through the foundation, surface water at the walkout, or a plumbing leak? Each needs a different fix.
- Does the repair need a permit from Douglas County, given that The Pinery is unincorporated?
- Is it worth regrading or adding a swale on the uphill side, and who does that kind of work?
- For an older home, should other sections of original supply piping be replaced while walls are open?
- How far is the restoration company traveling, and will snowy, winding streets affect when they can arrive?
General information for Parker, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.